Helen Chadwick, Viral Landscape #3, 1988-89 © Estate of Helen Chadwick. Courtesy Richard Saltoun Gallery
One of the most radical and inventive artists of her generation, Chadwick worked across sculpture, photography and installation, using materials in bold and unexpected ways to explore ideas of self, gender, the body and the natural world.
Helen Chadwick: Body and Landscape
11 July 2026 – 10 January 2027
Amgueddfa Cymru and Oriel y Parc are proud to present the work of pioneering British artist Helen Chadwick (1953–1996). Helen Chadwick: Body and Landscape is organised as part of ARTIST ROOMS, which presents the work of international artists in solo exhibitions drawn from a national touring collection jointly owned by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland.
Helen Chadwick, Viral Landscape #3, 1988-89 © Estate of Helen Chadwick. Courtesy Richard Saltoun Gallery
The exhibition will have particular resonance in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which inspired Chadwick’s Viral Landscapes series, created between 1988 and 1989, after being awarded an Artists in National Parks commission by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
She walked the Coast Path between Fishguard and Castlemartin, photographing the meeting point of land and sea, and experiencing the powerful effect on her senses and sense of self. This will be the first time her Pembrokeshire works have been shown in the landscape that inspired them.
The exhibition will also include major works such as Piss Flowers, reflecting the breadth, force and originality of Chadwick’s practice. Although she died suddenly in 1996 at the age of 42, her prolific body of work and her commitment to teaching made her a vital influence on the next generation of British artists and beyond.
This exhibition is bilingual
Helen Chadwick with Piss Flowers, 1994 © Kippa Matthews. Courtesy Estate of Helen Chadwick and Richard Saltoun Gallery
About ARTIST ROOMS
ARTIST ROOMS presents the work of international artists in solo exhibitions drawn from a national touring collection jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Its programme reaches audiences across the UK and is developed through local partnerships. ARTIST ROOMS gives young people the chance to get involved in creative projects, to discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills.
The ARTIST ROOMS programme and collection is managed by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland with the support of Art Fund, Henry Moore Foundation and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland. Its founding collection was established through The d’Offay Donation in 2008 with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and the Scottish and British Governments.
Ecotone, a soundscape project for young people
What can sound tell us about our relationship with the landscape?
How does the landscape help shape who we are?
Artist Helen Chadwick first came to Pembrokeshire in 1987 to work on an Artist in National Parks commission. While spending time on the coast, she noticed how the sound of the sea altered her state of mind and ‘sense of self’. In response to her time here, she made Viral Landscapes, which fuse microscopic images of human cells with vast panoramic photographs, drawing attention to how humans and nature continually influence each other.
Ecotone is a project for young people inspired by the exhibition Helen Chadwick: Body and Landscape, currently on display at Oriel y Parc, the National Park Discovery Centre in St Davids.
We’ll head outdoors to record the sounds of the National Park and explore the connections between inner and outer worlds, environment and identity. Young people taking part will have the chance to weave these recordings into a musical soundscape, creating a sonic response to Viral Landscapes.
The Ecotone project is funded by ARTIST ROOMS, a partnership between Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.
To find out more, email Rhowan Alleyne, Interpretation Officer, at rhowana@pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk.
